Bump
by TheyDidn'tHaveMyName
Summary: 200 years from now, in a lonely little bar, Jack bumps into someone he never expected to meet. Perhaps when he needs them most. Part of my AU universe, so OCs


Children of Torchwood Saga

A/U so OCs. References to the other stories in the series. All you need to know from them is that Jack and Ianto had a family. But by all means, go read them if you want.

This is set about 200 years from now.

I've given up studying maths. Studying this is much more interesting. And I actually own loads of this story. Just not Jack and Ianto.

* * *

I hate days like today.

They remind me way too much of when times were much, much simpler. Back when I had my little base. A team, and a family.

That's the issue really. A family.

Because I have a family. Hell after two centuries it's so big I can't trace many members of it. So far I've found only one kid still carrying our name. And I found him today.

The biggest curse of this immortality lark is that I lose everyone. I lost Ianto, and eventually time took away Tanwen, and Roan, and Dayton. Then their children, Sam and Aaron, Anna, Kate and Owen. But my family kept getting bigger.

When it got to the point where I was a great-great-grandfather to fourteen children I couldn't take it. The idea made my head hurt and I couldn't keep pretending that I should be a part of their lives.

Perhaps it's the hyper-vodkas I've just had, but I think leaving had been the best thing for me. Torchwood didn't need me any more, and every time I looked at one of the many members of my 'family' I was just reminded of those who had came before them. So I ran.

And I find myself here in some lost little bar, on a lost little planet, thinking nobody this side of Raxacoricalfallipatorius is gonna know me when in walks this guy. He's just a kid. Rucksack on his back and looking like he hasn't got a care in the world. He comes up and orders a drink. He turns and grins at me.

And guess what I see. The kid has eyes that are so damn familiar. Steely blue, hiding something.

He notices the look on my face and drops the grin. Instead he offers his hand.

"I'm Tom" he says.

"Jack Harkness," I say without thinking.

Tom finds this funny, "That's weird. I'm called Harkness-Jones," he laughs, "Maybe you're some kind of distant relation" He runs a hand through his hair. A thick, messy black mop that gets messier.

I try to smile, but I can't. Instead I take another drink.

Tom's desperate to make conversation. "My first time off Earth. I'm going to find myself an apprenticeship as a starship mechanic"

I nearly choke remembering Roan's unfulfilled ambition from years ago, and I realise that he must be from Roan's side of the family, since he still has the name.

"You got any family?" I ask for some reason.

Tom's grin returns, "Yeah, loads of us. I was still living with my mam and tad though. I figured this was a good way to get out"

I smiled, he even had a bit of a Welsh accent.

"You're not from Cardiff by any chance?" I ask.

"Yeah. Take it you know Earth then"

"Oh I haven't been there in at least a century"

This confuses Tom, but he shrugs it off. Probably putting it down to me being an alien of some form.

"What about you?" he asks.

"I have, but I haven't seen anyone in quite a while"

"Why not?"

"It's complicated"

"I can keep up"

I grin, "No you can't. Not with this one. I can barely keep up"

"You shouldn't drown your sorrows in a shot-glass though"

"Don't see why not. Alcohol doesn't affect me"

"If that's the way you're looking at it you should at least use coffee"

"Huh. You think?"

"Yeah. But you shouldn't anyway. You only have one life. You might as well live it"

This makes me laugh.

"That's what I'm doing Jack. I'm living it. I'm meeting people, like yourself, and I'm going places. And have you got the time?"

I check my vortex manipulator. Tom frowns when he sees it.

"Huh," is all he says.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothin, I just get the feeling I've seen something like that before"

"You probably have. Anyway. It's 5:20. Local time."

"Damnit!" he yelps, "I've got to go, or I'll miss a job," he grabs a napkin and jots down a five digit number before passing it to me, "That's my vone number. Just incase. I dunno what it is about you Jack, but you remind me of someone," he says before running out the bar, calling as he goes, "One life Jack! One life!"

I gaze at the number and smile. The kid's clearly mad. I wonder who he got that from.

* * *

A/N: this whole idea developed beccause Becca was helping me make a family tree for the Harkness-Jones family and we realized it was getting confusing. We then got to thinking how Jack would react to an ever expanding family. And voila, this was the result. Feedback appreciated. Thanx


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